Dragon Copilot experience for nurses: Best practices and tips

The move from traditional written documentation to a verbal ‘care out loud’ approach marks a major shift in your usual practices. To help you adapt, here are some best practices and tips.

Best practices for Dragon Copilot for Epic Rover

Ambient documentation is new for many nurses. These best practices help you stay present with patients while the technology works in the background.

• Before entering the room: Prepare in advance so recording feels like a natural part of care.

  • Follow your organization’s consent policy.
  • Log in to Dragon Copilot for Epic Rover.

  Tip

  Begin the recording after entering the room, just before interacting with the patient, so key context is captured naturally.

• At the start of the encounter: Set clear expectations so patients understand what you’re doing and why. Briefly explain that you’re using a tool to support accurate documentation, helping build trust and encourage natural conversation.

  • Example: “I’ll be using a tool that listens while we talk to help document my notes. For example, if you tell me you’re not in pain, it will capture that. I’ll review everything afterward—does that sound okay?”

• Create the best audio environment: Clear audio improves accuracy, reduces the need for editing, and supports patient privacy.

  • Minimize background noise when possible.
  • Close the door or draw curtains as appropriate.
  • Mute TVs and nearby devices and limit side conversations. Example: "I’m going to close the door for privacy and mute the TV while we talk, if that’s okay with you."

  Note

  Use the mobile device microphone for the clearest, most reliable recordings; headsets and Bluetooth microphones are not recommended.

• During the encounter:

  • Perform your usual assessment while verbalizing what you see, hear, and feel.
  • Speak naturally, using clear and intentional clinical language
  • Use the same terminology you use with peers.
  • Ask the patient one question at a time, allowing them to respond fully before proceeding.

• Be specific when possible:

  • Right vs. left vs. bilateral.
  • Upper vs. lower.
  • If a patient points or gestures, verbalize and confirm the meaning.

• Use precise clinical language:

  • Instead of: “Your belly looks good.” Say: “Abdomen soft, non‑tender, bowel sounds present.”
  • Instead of: “Pulses are palpable.” Say “Bilateral pedal pulses are normal.”

• Restate key patient responses out loud:

  • Confirms understanding.
  • Allows the patient to correct details.
  • Improves accuracy and clinical context.
  • If a response is lengthy, summarize the clinically relevant points.

  Tip

  If a patient gives a complex answer, summarize it clinically. For example, if the patient says, “My pain is a 4, maybe 5… better than yesterday when it was 8,” you might respond, “Your pain is currently 4 on a scale of 0 to 10.”

• Record outside the room as needed: You don’t need to verbalize everything at the bedside. It’s appropriate to combine bedside recording with recording outside the room within the same session. Consider recording outside the room when:

  • The patient declines recording.
  • The patient is confused, combative, or unable to participate.
  • The environment is noisy or the room is shared.
  • Information is not natural to verbalize, such as Braden score or fall risk, intake/output details, subtle condition changes, etc.
    This approach supports accurate documentation while keeping care patient‑centered and natural.

• Refer to the transcript for clarification as needed: While the recording is paused, open the Transcript tab from the recording screen in Rover to review details. After stopping the recording, the transcript will be available in Rover and Hyperspace.

The key to using ambient documentation effectively is to remain patient‑focused.

• Use natural conversation with clear clinical intent.
• Stay present and engaged so the patients feel heard and documentation quality improves.
• Speak clearly, be clinically explicit, and trust your nursing judgment.

Ambient documentation is designed to support your practice, not replace it.

Best practices for Dragon Copilot app

Here are some recommended best practices to consider when using the Dragon Copilot web/desktop app for the nursing experience.

Use AI capabilities

Leverage the available AI capabilities in Copilot chat to efficiently generate nursing-specific documents and get answers to questions.

• Leverage transcript queries and summaries to quickly recall details from patient interactions instead of manually re‑reading full transcripts.
• When available, use Prompt Library prompts especially organization‑created prompts to ensure consistent outputs aligned with local workflows and documentation standards.
• Allow Dragon Copilot’s intelligent routing to handle mixed or multi‑intent questions that combine patient context with clinical knowledge.

Efficiently copy content

Quickly transfer content generated to your EHR to streamline your documentation process.

Dock the Dragon Copilot app next to your EHR

Position the Dragon Copilot web or desktop app alongside your EHR to access AI capabilities and facilitate content transfer with minimal clicks.

• If you are using Dragon Copilot in a web browser, use the browser's native window resizing capabilities.
• If you are using the desktop app, select the narrow view button to streamline the creation of a side-by-side view.

Related topics

Create nurse notes

Dragon Copilot (nurses) FAQs

Dragon Copilot experience for nurses quick start guide